Free radical scavenging potential of methanol extract of Ficus thonningii leave and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LCMS) profiling

This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo free radical scavenging potentials of methanol extract of Ficus thonningii leaf and its liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LCMS) profiling. The qualitative phytochemical screening was carried out and the results show the presence of tannins, flavonoids, saponins glycoside and triterpenes. Antioxidant activities were carried out in vitro and in vivo and the reducing power shows a value of 0.53 ± 0.007 with a significant (p < 0.05) difference compared to the control and Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) value of 59.0 ± 0.007 with a significantly different (p < 0.05) compared to the control. However, the two assays are concentration-dependent. The in vivo analysis shows that lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities have values of 24.03± 8.04, 1.60± 0.03 and 0.003± 0.001 respectively. All the values are significantly different when compared to the control and are concentration-dependent. The LCMS results revealed the presence of some important metabolites; phenolic glycosides and quassin, which are potential molecules against free radicals. Therefore, Ficus thonningii leaf contains vital antioxidants and could be used in health management to boost the immune system or in drug development

A REVIEW ON EMERGING PATHOGENESIS OF COVID-19 AND POINTS OF CONCERN FOR RESEARCH COMMUNITIES IN NIGERIA

Background: COVID-19 remains an emerging pandemic that continuously poses an alarming threat and challenge to economic, social and wellbeing of the people throughout the world. It also remains an evolving disease which complete pathogenesis that translates into clinical features is only just emerging by each second of the day. There have been observations about the emerging trends of the disease in Nigeria like in any other country in the world where there is outbreak. This study examined from evidence-based literature the emerging pathogenesis of COVID-19 and important points of concern of the disease in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The paper reviewed published articles in PubMed and Google Scholar using search terms ‘COVID-19” and “SARS-CoV-2”, as well as searched for general COVID-19 information on internet. Results: The result summarized literature on emerging pathogenesis of COVID-19 and important points of concern as well as research questions as to the peculiar trends of the disease in Nigeria. Conclusion: Pathogenesis of COVID-19 remains an emerging knowledge and there are many important research questions that need to be scientifically answered for a successful containment of COVID-19 in Nigeria. It is recommended that all members of intellectual research communities should join the fight against COVID-19 pandemic

A review on emerging pathogenesis of COVID-19 and points of concern for research communities in Nigeria

Background: COVID-19 remains an emerging pandemic that continuously poses an alarming threat and challenge to economic, social and well-being of the people throughout the world. It also remains an evolving disease which complete pathogenesis that translates into clinical features is only just emerging by each second of the day. There have been observations about the emerging trends of the disease in Nigeria like in any other country in the world where there is outbreak. This study examined from evidence-based literature the emerging pathogenesis of COVID-19 and important points of concern of the disease in Nigeria.Materials and Methods: The paper reviewed published articles in PubMed and Google Scholar using search terms „COVID-19” and “SARS-CoV-2”, as well as searched for general COVID-19 information on internet.Results: The result summarized literature on emerging pathogenesis of COVID-19 and important points of concern as well as research questions as to the peculiar trends of the disease in Nigeria.Conclusion: Pathogenesis of COVID-19 remains an emerging knowledge and there are many important research questions that need to be scientifically answered for a successful containment of COVID-19 in Nigeria. It is recommended that all members of intellectual research communities should join the fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Interventional programs for community reintegration after spinal cord injury: a scoping review

Advances in healthcare and technology have led to increased survival rates after spinal cord injury (SCI). To facilitate recovery, regain function, and promote quality of life after SCI, rehabilitation in the acute care setting is of paramount importance. After discharge from acute care, there is difficulty in accessing appropriate intervention to facilitate community rein-tegration. This review examined the content, strengths, limitations, and effectiveness of existing community reintegration intervention programs after SCI to promote the adoption of the existing programs or the development of new interventions for individuals with SCI in a low-resource setting. We conducted a review of the literature using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. Six electronic databases were searched from the database inception to September 2022, including Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Sabinet, and Global Health. A manual search of the selected references was also conducted. Seven articles met our inclusion criteria. Overall, 290 individuals participated in the included studies, 80% of the participants were males, and the majority of the participants had an injury at the thoracic level. The studies presented different interventional programs with varying contents addressing different aspects of community reintegration such as household duties, mobility, health maintenance, and recre-ation. All the identified programs have evidence of preliminary effectiveness in some domains of community reintegration (e.g., household duties, mobility, and health). However, most available programs are geared toward addressing a specific aspect of community reintegration and may not be suitable for individuals with complex needs. A robust program that encompasses all critical aspects of community reintegration (housing and household duties, mobility, recreation, health maintenance, pain management, sexuality, social support, and employment) may be required. Therefore, further development and validation of existing programs are warranted

Optimized Model Simulation of a Capacitated Vehicle Routing problem based on Firefly Algorithm

This paper presents an optimized solution to a capacitated vehicle routing (CVRP) model using firefly algorithm (FFA). The main objective of a CVRP is to obtain the minimum possible total travelled distance across a search space. The conventional model is a formal description involving mathematical equations formulated to simplify a more complex structure of logistic problems. These logistic problems are generalized as the vehicle routing problem (VRP). When the capacity of the vehicle is considered, the resulting formulation is termed the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP). In a practical scenario, the complexity of CVRP increases when the number of pickup or drop-off points increase making it difficult to solve using exact methods. Thus, this paper employed the intelligent behavior of FFA for solving the CVRP model. Two instances of solid waste management and supply chain problems is used to evaluate the performance of the FFA approach. In comparison with particle swarm optimization and few other ascribed metaheuristic techniques for CVRP, results showed that this approach is very efficient in solving a CVRP model

Differential activation of intraepithelial lymphocyte-natural killer cells in chickens infected with very virulent and vaccine strains of infectious bursal disease virus

To gain insights into the role of CD3-/28.4+ intraepithelial lymphocytes-natural killer (CD3-/28.4+IEL-NK) cells during infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infection, characterisation of the cells was performed following infection with different strains of the virus. In vitro treatment with IL-18 or ionomycin/PMA successfully stimulated and activated the cells via a significant increase in the expression of CD69, B-Lec, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin. Similarly, chickens infected with the vaccine strain of IBDV also up-regulated the expression of CD69, B-Lec, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin in CD3-/28.4+ IEL-NK cells up to 3 days post infection (dpi) and down-regulated the expression of the inhibitory receptor B-NK at 3 dpi. On the contrary, infection with the very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) strain lead to a reduced activation of the cells by down-regulating the expression of the CD69, CHIR-AB1 and NK-lysin especially at 1 dpi. These findings altogether demonstrate the differential activation of CD3-/28.4+IEL-NK cells in chicken following infection with the vaccine or very virulent strains of IBDV. The study therefore provides an important clue into the differential pathogenesis of IBDV infection in chicken. Further studies are however required to determine the functional importance of these findings during IBDV vaccination and infection

Protective efficacy of inactivated Newcastle disease virus vaccines prepared in two different oil based adjuvants

Despite the availability of Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines for more than six decades, disease outbreaks continue to occur with huge economic consequences to the global poultry industry. The aim of this study is to develop a safe and effective inactivated vaccine based on a recently isolated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain IBS025/13 and evaluate its protective efficacy in chicken following challenge with a highly virulent genotype VII isolate. Firstly, high titre of IBS025/13 was exposed to various concentrations of binary ethylenimine (BEI) to determine the optimal conditions for complete inactivation of the virus. The inactivated virus was then prepared in form of a stable water-in-oil emulsion of black seed oil (BSO) or Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FIA) and used as vaccines in specific pathogen-free chicken. Efficacy of various vaccine preparations was also evaluated based on the ability of the vaccine to protect against clinical disease, mortality and virus shedding following challenge with highly virulent genotype\VII NDV isolate. The results indicate that exposure of NDV IBS025/13 to 10 mM of BEI for 21 h at 37 °C could completely inactivate the virus without tempering with the structural integrity of the viral hemagglutin-neuraminidase protein. More so, the inactivated vaccines adjuvanted with either BSO- or FIA-induced high hemagglutination inhibition antibody titre that protected the vaccinated birds against clinical disease and in some cases virus shedding, especially when used together with live attenuated vaccines. Thus, genotype VII-based NDV-inactivated vaccines formulated in BSO could substantially improve poultry disease control particularly when combined with live attenuated vaccines

Development of nucleic acid-based vaccines against dengue and other mosquito-borne flaviviruses: the past, present, and future

Due to their widespread geographic distribution and frequent outbreaks, mosquito-borne flaviviruses, such as DENV (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and West Nile virus (WNV), are considered significant global public health threats and contribute to dramatic socioeconomic imbalances worldwide. The global prevalence of these viruses is largely driven by extensive international travels and ecological disruptions that create favorable conditions for the breeding of Aedes and Culex species, the mosquito vectors responsible for the spread of these pathogens. Currently, vaccines are available for only DENV, YFV, and JEV, but these face several challenges, including safety concerns, lengthy production processes, and logistical difficulties in distribution, especially in resource-limited regions, highlighting the urgent need for innovative vaccine approaches. Nucleic acid-based platforms, including DNA and mRNA vaccines, have emerged as promising alternatives due to their ability to elicit strong immune responses, facilitate rapid development, and support scalable manufacturing. This review provides a comprehensive update on the progress of DNA and mRNA vaccine development against mosquito-borne flaviviruses, detailing early efforts and current strategies that have produced candidates with remarkable protective efficacy and strong immunogenicity in preclinical models. Furthermore, we explore future directions for advancing nucleic acid vaccine candidates, which hold transformative potential for enhancing global public health

Delineating Hot Zone and Lineaments within Vredefort Crater in South Africa through Aeromagnetic Data Inversions

The Vredefort Dome has undergone some geologic processes that result in changes in the temperature of the rocks. This study contributes to the discussion on the thermal effect of the impact in the area on a regional scale and also delineates the linear structures around the Dome. The outcome shows that the center of the Dome is characterized by a low Curie point depth (CPD), indicating a high-temperature status that agrees with previous temperature reports in that area. The high-temperature tendency is observed to extend south of the Vredefort dome. The center-south of the Vredefort structure has a high thermal gradient and heat flow. The fractal distribution of the Vredefort structure correlates with the multi-ring structure around the Dome, which is peculiar to a few impact structures on Earth. The trend of the Fractal exponent contour around the center suggests that the contact of the meteoritic body at that region occurs at an angle and then pushes southwards. The structural analysis results show linear structures that are believed to be faults/fractures trending in North-NorthEast (NNE), NorthEast (NE), EastWest (EW), and NorthSouth (NS) directions whose effects have been explained in previous works in the area and were also identified on the ground. Some closures are observed at the center of the multi-ring structure, indicating the melt-dykes around the Vredefort dome. The Euler depth solutions cluster suggests the lineaments are about 7 km deep